


You and I and Another Universe

by type_here



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-01 08:35:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8617135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/type_here/pseuds/type_here
Summary: Moments, glimpses of what could have been.A fairly fluff story and a sad story.
( Pre Final Resting Place. Obviously jossed by now.)





	1. A Train to Catch in the Morning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [badskeletonpuns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/badskeletonpuns/gifts).



1.  
They had a train to catch in the morning. 

They had a train to catch and Juno was brushing his teeth. He took his time, back lit by the bathroom’s light, not really wanting to go to bed yet, not wanting to be stuck so close to Nureyev for the night. Peter was too intoxicating for Juno's own good and Juno wanted to delay the inevitable fall for a moment longer.

Peter looked from his spot on the bed. “ Juno, dear, are you alright? You spent an awfully long time there! You should come to sleep.”

Juno made a noncommittal grunt, running a towel through his wet hair before stepping into the room proper.

They had a train to catch in the morning and that's when Peter seem to notice Juno for the first time. That's when Peter realized he never saw Juno in anything but slacks, a long button up and a trench coat. Well… There was the suit too, but nothing of that had short sleeves.

Juno sat down, the mattress dipping slightly with his weight. He tried not to look at Peter.

Peter, on the other hand, was staring. He could see scars upon scars along Juno's arms. Some were silver and thin, some ropey and red. Some were clearly new and made during recent adventures and some… 

Well... 

The thin parallel lines told a story that sent Peter’s heart reeling. He wanted to brush the tip of his fingers against them, map everyone of them and kiss them. He wanted to ease whatever pain Juno felt that brought them forth in the first place. As much as they seem to be old history, Peter hoped that nothing would put Juno in such a state to bring more forth. 

He turned around, facing away from Juno. He wanted to touch him, tell him everything and just… But no, he knew he couldn’t. He knew that the prickly Detective would just close off further more if he tried. 

They had a train to catch in the morning. He just just closed the light and hoped for the best. 

 

2.  
If you asked, neither of them would remember how they got back to Juno’s apartment. Everything was a bit of a blur but, for the aftermath of the (almost) end of the world, things were (almost) quiet.

“Juno, could you please not be so stubborn? Your wounds need to be looked at! I cannot do this through all those layers of clothes! She did a number on you enough as it is without you being a child about it and making things worst! Your ears are still bleeding too!” Peter had an exasperated sigh while Juno grumbled, as usual. “Honestly Juno, you should let me help you with this.” Peter said, motioning toward the trench coat Juno was still we wearing. He swore the detective was as skittish as an Old Town alley cat sometimes. 

Well, in a sense, it was a rather apt description of Juno.

The detective in question tried to stand up to take care of his own damn self, thank you very much, but only ended up swaying on the spot. 

Peter was fast on his feet, steadying Juno with an hand on his good shoulder and another on his hip. He settled him back down and even dared to run an hand through the detective's hair. 

Juno glared but kept quiet. He tried not to lean into the touch, remembering a similar time, remembering how messy things got, remembering how much he needed it back then and how he still did. He tried to make himself not feel so much. He hoped Peter wouldn't notice.

Peter did notice though. He sighed and carefully helped Juno out of his coat and shirt. He cleaned up and bandaged up the wounds on Juno's arm as gently as he could and noticed something else as well. There was a smattering of petals and cherry blossoms curling around Juno's bicep, up the deltoid and dipping back beneath the fabric of the tank top he was still wearing. Peter smiled and traced a few petals idly.

“Hmm. I wouldn’t have suspected such a thing to be something you would go for. It looks so delicate too. Can I see the re-”

Juno interrupted him. 

“No you can't and no, it's not something I usually would go for, as you put it. It was a gift from Cecil after I saved him the first time. Family tradition. Are you done now?” he hissed.

Peter's touch had sent sparks flying down Juno's spine. Peter could clearly see it in his small shudders. He raised his hands, palms up, in a gesture of goodwill. He hoped he could do what he just did again some other time. He hoped Juno would soften enough to let him take care for him without putting up a fight.

“No need to be so prickly, Juno! But yes I am done for tonight. I will go, if it's what you want me to do. Goodnight and please, do sleep. You need it.”

Juno didn't reply and Peter took it as a cue to leave. Juno still looked annoyed as he close the the door to the little apartment. 

Well… 

It would definitely take more time to tame the alley cat, he thought. There was old habits, no matter how they trusted each other, that would be hard to break. However, it would be worth the wait.

 

3.  
The living room was bathed in the orange glow of neon lights and street lamps pouring down from the window. No other light in the apartment itself were open. The place was quiet, silent except for a stream neither men in the room really watched.

Juno was sitting on the floor crossed legged and leaning against the couch, eyes closed and feeling like the world been weighing him down again. Peter was right behind him lounging like a cat and idly petting Juno’s head.

“ You know Juno, I could help you with the tension if you would only let me to.” He pressed a kiss to Juno’s temple. He was please with himself when Juno relented and leaned against the touch. Those things were still rare happenings.

“I never really had that first date, so, you know... No thanks, I think I’ll pass.” Juno replied in this usually maddeningly sarcastic tone of his.

“While what I do have in mind would be much better if you remove your shirt, I assure you that my intentions are pure Juno.”

Juno gave a pointed look at Peter, not quite a glare but wondering what Peter was getting at. He did trust him, he trusted him with his life before and in turn Peter trusted him as well with… well, with everything. He sighed, smiled a little and did as he was asked. He hoped it wasn't a trick. Kiss an tell and rough one night stands were a thing but-

Oh. Oooh. This, this was nice. Peter slender fingers settled against the sides of his neck, thumbs working small circles at the base of his skull. Juno’s head lolled forward. He closed his eyes and almost groaned as Peter’s fingers made their way down along his neck, gentle yet just firm enough in their touch. 

Peter smiled. He knew how much trust was hard to win and so easily lost with Juno. His detective still hadn't quite an handle on this gentle kind of intimacy, so for Peter to be able to do this, it was a small miracle.

He carefully continued rubbing with the palm of his hands and kneading with the tip of his fingers along tense muscles of Juno's shoulders. Juno moaned and leaned his head to the side, giving more space for Peter to work. 

“You should come and sit in the couch darling, it can't be comfortable there.” Peter mentioned before kissing one of the petal inked on Juno's shoulder. 

Juno shuddered, eyes closed and a small smile on his lips. He lazily stretched and stood up, finally giving Peter a full view of his tattoo in the process. It was honestly lovely, Peter thought and once Juno was settled down on the couch, he kissed more of the petals that went down in a wave from the left shoulder blade all the way down to Juno’s back. 

Juno leaned into the touch as hands went down along his spine. It felt so good to be taken care of, for one of those too rare times. Peter… He always been kind with his touches, Juno only now realized. From the very start. 

Unh. 

He couldn’t help a shiver and a rather sudden, rather breathy chuckle. Peter accidentally tickled him while tracing one of the koi fishes along his spine before going back to massaging a rather stiff spot at the small of his back. He couldn’t help the small moan either, this was so great.

“You seem to enjoy yourself quite a lot.” Peter replied with an amused smirk. Good to know such a weak point.... 

Juno could only nod, eyes closed and mouth slightly opened. Never in his life he felt so relaxed, never in his life someone has taken care of him and touched him this way without asking something in return. It felt great and it felt, for once, safe. He hoped Peter would keep going for a while at least. 

“Just- Just don’t stop, okay?”

It was Peter’s turn to chuckle. He did enjoy how Juno’s tension seem to melt away, how the lines on Juno’s face from his usual frown seem to smooth down. It wasn’t too long before he gathered Juno in his arms, the detective finally relaxed enough to fall asleep right there. It was a great sight to see and he hoped this would last a while.


	2. Though I know it must be the killing time

He hadn't meant for this to happen. Everything was so wrong right now. He hadn't meant to put Juno on the trail of the Martian artifacts. He could have done this without him. He hadn't meant to fall in love and have Juno do the same. He hadn't meant to be Vicky’s contact and definitely hadn't meant to leave Juno behind. It was the only way he could- 

As long as one of them could bring her down, the world would be safer. He had to think of this, he had to think of what he set himself to do out there.

He had meant no harm. He had put his trust in Juno, like Juno had put his trust in him. Juno, for all his crankiness and his fears, had opened up to him and he felt like he had let him down. They could have been- 

No,no,no. 

They would be happy. As long as he held onto Juno, as long as he kept fighting for him, he could hope. As long as Juno kept fighting for himself too… He didn't need to think about this, he didn't need to think about all the blood on Juno. There was so much of it.

He could hear the fight around him, the fight between Sacha's agents and Miasma’s goons. He never been this scared of anything since his youth in Brahma. One stray shot and-

“Hey…”

Peter was startled out of his thoughts, looking at the man cradled in his arms. “Juno?” His voice was more breathless and high pitched than he would have liked to admit. 

“You came back.” Juno said, tone all matter of fact and a small tired smile on his face. 

Peter gasped. He knew things took time to happen, it took time to convince Sasha that his story was the truth, that it wasn't some elaborate plan for him to gain something of value, but to hear that it took enough time for Juno to lose hope? He held him tighter, his heart breaking. 

“I'm glad you came back.”. June added, his voice barely above a whisper. 

There was so much blood. He could feel life fade away from Juno. Past and present were overlaid in Peter's mind. He been trusted, betrayed this trust and now his hands were covered in the blood of the person who had been caring the most. 

There was too much blood and Peter had the feeling they would never have enough time to bring Juno back to the city, back to safety, back somewhere where someone else than himself could look after him. Juno seemed to have realized too that he wasn't going to make it. With that realization hanging between them, the battle surrounding them seemed to fade away too. 

Time passed and Peter could feel Juno’s life fade away. So he forced a small, hopefully reassuring, smile on his lips and sang. He sang to the memories of his long lost home. He sang to the memories they barely had time to make. All the things he’d never get to say or see again… He was still hopeful in a way that Juno was stubborn enough to make it through, that he would see Brahma again.

“It’s… the song from the square.” Juno barely managed to get out, interrupting the singing and Peter’s line of thoughts.

He nodded against Juno’s skin, unable to trust his own voice anymore. For Juno, it hadn’t even been a question, he was certain of this. Peter realized what exactly the detective had seen in his mind. Juno knew exactly what Peter did and somehow, with everything between them, still was glad that he was back.

For what seem like a small eternity, he rocked them both back and forth gently. The battle around them finally came to an end.

“Juno, you know I love you, right?” 

He never got a reply.


End file.
